February/28/ 2016 Filed in:
Moral_of_the_storyMoral of the Story
Part 3
Parable of the Solid Foundation
Matthew 7:21-29
21 “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. 22 On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ 23 But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’ 24 “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. 25 Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. 26 But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. 27 When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.” 28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29 for he taught with real authority—quite unlike their teachers of religious law.
1. Sand was never meant to __________________
2. Building on a Solid foundation takes _________
- Obedience is they key to having a strong foundation in Christ and obedience triggers opposition
James 1:22-24
22 But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. 23 For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. 24 You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like.
3. Building on a solid foundation take the _________________
-- Fasting without praying is just a diet and praying without actually communicating to God is just insanity!
Moral of the Story: The stronger your foundation the higher you can build
February/21/ 2016 Filed in:
Moral_of_the_storyMoral of the Story
Parable of the Great Banquet
Luke 14:15-24 “Jesus replied with this story: “A man prepared a great feast and sent out many invitations. 17 When the banquet was ready, he sent his servant to tell the guests, ‘Come, the banquet is ready.’ 18 But they all began making excuses. One said, ‘I have just bought a field and must inspect it. Please excuse me.’ 19 Another said, ‘I have just bought five pairs of oxen, and I want to try them out. Please excuse me.’ 20 Another said, ‘I now have a wife, so I can’t come.’ 21 “The servant returned and told his master what they had said. His master was furious and said, ‘Go quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and invite the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’ 22 After the servant had done this, he reported, ‘There is still room for more.’ 23 So his master said, ‘Go out into the country lanes and behind the hedges and urge anyone you find to come, so that the house will be full. 24 For none of those I first invited will get even the smallest taste of my banquet.’”
- God is always inviting you into his plan
2. The enemy will always give you an excuse to miss out on God’s plan.
Notice 2 things about excuses.
- Excuses are in the great majority
Proverbs 22:13 “The lazy person claims, “There’s a lion out there! If I go outside, I might be killed!”
b. Excuses reveal true priorities
Moral of the story: When we opt out we miss out.
verse 24 “For none of those I first invited will get even the smallest taste of my banquet.”
What if we decided we would not allow anything to keep us from the master’s best?
Example: The Woman with Issue of Blood
She didn’t make excuses she made a path.
Example: David and Goliath
David didn’t make excuses he made arrangements.
Example: Joseph
Joseph didn’t make excuses he made allowances.
Colossians 3:13 “Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.
Example: The men in Mark 2
These men didn’t make excuses they made a way.
Final thought: Excuses are the nails used to build a house of failure. What kind of house are you building?
February/14/ 2016 Filed in:
Moral_of_the_storyMoral of the Story
Part 1
Matthew 25:14-15 “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. 15 To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag,[a] each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey.
1. You have an assignment
Verse 16 “The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained 5 more.”
verse 16-19 “The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. 17 So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. 18 But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. 19 “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.”
2. You have an appointment
Hebrews 9:27 “people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.”
Verse 19 “After a long time the master of the servants returned and settled accounts with them.”
Romans 14:12 “Yes each of us will give a personal account to God.”
verse 21-30 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
verse 24 “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’ 26 “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. 28 “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. 29 For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Moral of the story: The biggest risk is not risking
Hebrews 11:6 “And without faith it is impossible to please God.”
Why did the man bury his talent? Fear!
Verse 24-25 “Then the man who had received one talent came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you”
What fears cause us to bur our talents?
- Fear of loss.
b. Fear of failure
c. Fear of commitment
verse 26 “ you wicked and lazy servant”
February/07/ 2016 Filed in:
PatternsPatterns
Part 5
Pattern for Ministry
1. A problem
Nehemiah 1:1 “In late autumn, in the month of Kislev, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes’ reign, I was at the fortress of Susa. 2 Hanani, one of my brothers, came to visit me with some other men who had just arrived from Judah. I asked them about the Jews who had returned there from captivity and about how things were going in Jerusalem. 3 They said to me, “Things are not going well for those who returned to the province of Judah. They are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem has been torn down, and the gates have been destroyed by fire.”
2. A person
3. A passion
Nehemiah 1:4 “When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven.”
Nehemiah 2:5 Nehemiah said “send me to Judah to rebuild the city where my ancestors are buried.”
Passion without motion is just emotion.
4. A Plan
Nehemiah 2:4-6 “It pleased the king to send me; so I set a time. 7 I also said to him, “If it pleases the king, may I have letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, so that they will provide me safe-conduct until I arrive in Judah? 8 And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the royal park, so he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple and for the city wall and for the residence I will occupy?” And because the gracious hand of my God was on me, the king granted my requests.”
Proverbs 21:5 “Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.”
5. A price
Nehemiah 4:1-3 “When Sanballat heard we were rebuilding the wall, he was very angry, even furious. He made fun of the Jewish people. 2 He said to his friends and those with power in Samaria, “What are these weak Jews doing? Will they rebuild the wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Can they finish it in one day? Can they bring stones back to life from piles of trash and ashes?”
Theodore Roosevelt “There has never yet been a man in our history who led a life of ease whose name is worth remembering.”
6. A payoff
Nehemiah 6:15-16 “So on October 2 the wall was finished—just fifty-two days after we had begun. 16 When our enemies and the surrounding nations heard about it, they were frightened and humiliated. They realized this work had been done with the help of our God.”
1. There is a problem:
People in our city without Jesus.
Over the past year LGC has grown by 27%
Average Growth Rates for growing churches:
Good Growth: 6 - 8% per year
Excellent Growth: 9 - 11% per year
Outstanding Growth: 12 - 15% per year
Incredible Growth: 16 - 20% per year
Beginning on March 27 offer 3 Sunday worship experiences
2. There is a person:
You and me. We can do something to reach the people of this city.
3. We have a passion:
We believe the that “The fire that burns within us can change the world around us.”
4. We have a plan:
New service times 9, 10:25 and 11:50.
5. The plan has a price:
6. There will be a payoff:
